Why did you decide to become a spine surgeon?

Currently, I am resident in training to become an orthopedic surgeon. Next to interest in general orthopedic surgery, I have a special interest in the fascinating world of spine surgery. Spine There are amazing challenges in the treatment of patients with spinal conditions, triggered by a diverse patient population and a variety of nonoperative and operative treatment options combined with its technical innovations.surgery is a fascinating and developing surgical field. There are amazing challenges in the treatment of patients with spinal conditions, triggered by a diverse patient population and a variety of nonoperative and operative treatment options combined with its technical innovations.

 

Where did you get trained?

I get trained at the Department of Orthopedic Surgery of the University Medical Center (UMC) Utrecht in the Netherlands. This center also includes a well-established Spine Unit due to an intense multidisciplinary teamwork with specialties such as neurosurgery and trauma surgery. While treating a broad range of spinal pathologies, this contributes significantly to a solid base for me to become a well-trained spine surgeon.

 

Who inspires you?

There are many people who inspire me in the field of spine care. I am very fortunate to have spine surgeons of the UMC Utrecht as I am very fortunate to have spine surgeons of the UMC Utrecht as my daily supervisors, especially Prof Cumhur Oner. He also introduced me to the AOSpine Knowledge Forum Trauma in which I am presently involved.my daily supervisors, especially Prof Cumhur Oner. He also introduced me to the AOSpine Knowledge Forum Trauma in which I am presently involved. It is a privilege to work together with a team of inspiring and renowned experts including the steering committee members Prof Alexander R Vaccaro, Prof Marcel F Dvorak, Dr Jens R Chapman, Prof Frank Kandziora, Dr Klaus J Schnake, Prof S Rajasekaran, Prof Lorin Benneker and

Dr Emiliano Vialle.

 

Can you tell a bit in general about spine surgery in the Netherlands?

In the Netherlands, many efforts are being undertaken to work towards the centralization of spinal care. The idea is to have a restricted number of highly-specialized centers for the care of traumatic spine injuries and oncological diseases, in order to provide the best treatments for our patients. On the other hand, currently a major issue in the Netherlands is the waiting period for deformity surgeries. Due to the limited capacity, a waiting period of more than one year is, unfortunately, more often the rule than the exception.

 

What do you consider the biggest challenges for spine surgeons in the Netherlands?

Like other Western countries, the Netherlands is a highly developed country with increased longevity. It is important to realize that physical and mental weaknesses increase with age. With the aging of the population, geriatric spine trauma has increased rapidly, as well as spinal tumors and metastatic diseases. The same is the case for spinal degenerative deformities. As mentioned earlier, the increasing waiting periods for surgery make this issue very challenging. Another challenge associated with aging is the increasing incidence of spondylodiscitis, mainly related to the multiple comorbidities of the aging population.

 

How has AOSpine influenced your career?

It is a great privilege to be a member of the AOSpine. It is the leading global academic community and the best platform of It is a great privilege to be a member of the AOSpine. It is the leading global academic community and the best platform of international education and communication in the field of spine.international education and communication in the field of spine. I am very grateful to collaborate with the AOSpine Knowledge Forum Trauma in various research projects focusing on outcomes measurement in spine trauma care. I look forward to further collaborations and fruitful interactions with the overall intention to contribute to patient-centered and evidence-based spine (trauma) care.

 

 

 

 

 

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Biography

 

Said Sadiqi, MD, PhD

Orthopedic surgery resident with special interest in spine surgery

University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands